Document Transport Roll Control for Jammed Paper Removal

Solution Overview

Problem

In image reading devices with non-synchronous rotating transfer rolls, document jams can cause documents to be improperly positioned, making them difficult to remove due to asynchronous roll movement, leading to documents being held between discharge rolls for extended periods.

Innovation Solution

A reading device with a controller that stops and rotates the transport rolls for a predetermined period only when a document of threshold length or longer is detected, ensuring documents are discharged correctly and reducing the likelihood of jammed documents being moved to hard-to-retrieve positions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the discharge rolls are rotated to discharge a document held between them after a jam, then the document can be discharged to the outside of the device body, but other transfer rolls also rotate causing the jammed document to move to a hard-to-remove position

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedocument dischargeVSAvoidjammed document removal

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the transport rolls into multiple independent groups (discharge rolls, transfer rolls, and other transport rolls), each controlled separately by independent drive sources. This segmentation allows the discharge rolls to rotate for document discharge while keeping other rolls stationary, preventing the jammed document from moving to difficult-to-retrieve positions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic control where the rotation state of each transport roll group can be independently adjusted based on operational needs. The controller can selectively rotate only the discharge rolls while maintaining other rolls in a stationary state, optimizing both document discharge and jammed document accessibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of repair

If the plural transfer rolls are stopped to prevent document movement, then the jammed document remains in a removable position, but a document of sufficient length may be held between the discharge rolls for an extended period

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvejammed document removalVSAvoiddocument discharge time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of repairVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic control where the rotation state of each transport roll group can be independently adjusted based on operational needs. The controller can selectively rotate only the discharge rolls while maintaining other rolls in a stationary state, optimizing both document discharge and jammed document accessibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses detection units to monitor document presence and position, providing feedback to the controller. Based on this feedback, the controller determines whether to rotate the discharge rolls or keep them stationary, thereby preventing documents from being held between the discharge rolls for extended periods while maintaining ease of repair when needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Productivity

If the discharge rolls rotate in synchronization with other transfer rolls, then document transport is coordinated, but the asynchronous rotation capability is lost making it difficult to handle jammed documents selectively

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedocument transport efficiencyVSAvoidjam handling flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the transport rolls into multiple independent groups (discharge rolls, transfer rolls, and other transport rolls), each controlled separately by independent drive sources. This segmentation allows the discharge rolls to rotate for document discharge while keeping other rolls stationary, preventing the jammed document from moving to difficult-to-retrieve positions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic control where the rotation state of each transport roll group can be independently adjusted based on operational needs. The controller can selectively rotate only the discharge rolls while maintaining other rolls in a stationary state, optimizing both document discharge and jammed document accessibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS11930136B2Reading device and image forming apparatus

Publication Date: 2024.03.12 FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP

AI summary

A reading device includes: plural transport rolls that transport a document along a transport path, include a discharge roll disposed on a most downstream side of the transport path, and rotate and do not rotate in synchronization with one another; an opening and closing unit that exposes or covers an upstream portion of the transport path; plural detectors that are provided apart from one another along the transport path, detect a transported document, and include a discharge detector that is disposed on a most downstream side of the transport path and is disposed on an upstream side relative to the discharge roll in a document transport direction; a reader that reads an image formed on a transported document in a downstream portion of the transport path; and a controller that stops the plural transport rolls once upon occurrence of a document jam inside a device body by controlling the transport rolls and rotates the transport rolls for only a predetermined period in a case where the discharge detector is detecting no document and a length of a document is equal to or longer than a threshold length.